Cranberry Syrup

No ratings yet

Cranberry syrup made from fresh or frozen berries, strained and sweetened cup for cup with sugar. It's a tart, pourable syrup for pancakes, seltzer, and cocktails, water bath canned for the pantry.

Prep Time2 20

Cook Time20

Canning Time15

Total Time2 45

Course: syrup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: canning cranberry syrup, cranberry canning recipes, cranberry simple syrup, cranberry syrup, homemade cranberry syrup

Servings: servings (about 3 pints)

Equipment

Ingredients

Extract the Juice

1 1/4 lbs cranberries fresh or frozen, see notes
4 cups water

Make the Syrup

4 cups cranberry juice strained, from above
4 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids.
Rinse and sort the cranberries, removing any soft or shriveled berries. Frozen berries go in without thawing.
Combine the cranberries and water in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and burst, about 10 minutes. Crush lightly with a potato masher.
Pour into a dampened jelly bag or a colander lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth, set over a deep bowl. Let drip undisturbed for at least 2 hours. Don't squeeze the bag if you want a clear syrup.
Measure the strained juice and pour it into a clean saucepan with an equal measure of sugar.
Heat over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Bring to 190°F and hold at 190°F for 5 minutes. Do not boil.
Ladle the hot syrup into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, center the lids, and apply the bands fingertip tight.
Process pints or half pints in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat and let the jars stand in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove and cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then remove the rings and check the seals.

Notes

Recipe source: Based on the cranberry juice method in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, sweetened 1:1 with sugar. Cranberries are high acid, so no lemon juice is needed.

Yield: About 1 1/4 pounds of cranberries (roughly 5 cups) and 4 cups of water give about 4 cups of strained juice. With 4 cups of sugar, that makes about 6 cups of syrup, or 3 pints or 6 half pints. The recipe doubles for 6 pints, and the processing time stays the same.

Ratio: Match the sugar to the strained juice cup for cup. The sugar is for flavor and body, not preservation, so you can use about 3 cups of sugar per 4 cups of juice for a thinner, more tart syrup.

Don't boil: Cranberries are high in pectin, and sweetened juice starts turning to jelly quickly at a boil. Heat it only to 190°F. It looks thin when hot and thickens a little as it cools. An overcooked batch is still fine safety wise, just closer to a soft jelly.

Frozen berries: They go in without thawing. Freezing fresh berries for a week first cuts their pectin roughly in half, which helps keep the syrup pourable.

Canning optional: Refrigerate for several weeks, or freeze up to 6 months in straight-sided, freezer-safe jars with 1 inch of headspace.

Altitude adjustments: Processing time for pints and half pints in a water bath canner.

0 to 1,000 feet: 15 minutes
1,001 to 6,000 feet: 20 minutes
Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes

Storage: Sealed jars keep 12 to 18 months in a cool, dark place. Store them with the rings off. Refrigerate an opened jar and use it within a few weeks.

Nutrition